Retaining means for concrete form walls



n- 13, 1942- s. s. OLT 2,270,035

RETAINING MEANS FOR CONCRETE FORM WALLS Filed NOV. 8, 1940 mil 1 Sawuel$.0altj ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 13, 1942 UNITED sr rEs SPATENTBOFFICE Samuel s. Colt, West ora ge, N. J. Application November 8, 1940, Serial No. 364,812

1' Claim. (01. 25-7431) The invention relates to improvements in retaining means for holding thewalls of concrete casting forms in operative assembled relation.

Most concrete casting forms include opposed side Walls which must be retained in predetermined spacedrelation according to the thickness of the mass of cast concrete desired to be obtained. After the concrete has been cast in the form and has set, the form walls are taken down and the associated exposed portions of the devices used to retain the same in form shaping relation must then be removed from the cast concrete mass. The retaining means comprises a tie rod extending between the opposed form walls and removable retaining means to couple therewith, said latter means being detachable from the tie rods which remain imbedded within the cast concrete mass.

It is an object of this invention to, provide a novel construction of removable retaining means, to engage the tie rod ends, which is so designed and shaped as to be easily loosened and withdrawn from the cast concrete mass after the form has been dismantled; and to this end the novel retaining means of this invention comprises a coupler element having an inner conical end portion for disposition within the form interior in connected relation to a tie rod, together with means detachably mounted thereon whereby to engage or abut the inner face of a form wall so as to hold the same against inward displacement or shifting out of desired spaced relation to an opposite wall of the form, thus providing what is known in the industry as form wall spreading effect.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a cone-coupler element for the purposes above mentioned having an outer end portion of novel formation including at least one fiat face, whereby a wrench for turning the same may be operatively applied thereto, and whereby a shoulder is formed for backing a detachable spreader collar having an opening through which the cone coupler element extends, and a positioning abutment lip or web conformable to and engageable with said shoulder; all in such manner that the use of said spreader collar is optional, whereby the cone coupler element may be employed when desired either with or without form wall spreading effect. By such construction the cone coupler element is of universal character, i. e. the same cone coupler element may be used in concrete form construction with inclusiveform spreading effect when provided with the detachable spreader collar, or alone, i. e. without the spreader collar, or when spreading effect is obtained by other and independent means, thus avoiding necessity for the contractor carrying a supply of several styles or shapes of cone coupler elements for use respectively under the several conditions mentioned;

' Another object of this invention is to provide in combination with a cone coupler element a detachable spreader collar which when assembled thereon interlocks therewith so that turning movement applied to the cone coupler element will likewise be transmitted to the spreader. collar, when it is desired to loosen these elements for withdrawal from a cast concrete mass.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description thereof.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary transverse section taken through opposed form walls, showing the novel retaining means of this invention in operative assembled relation thereto for both tying and spreading effect; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of similar character showing one wall with the associated novel retaining means in elevation; and Fig. 3 is a view similar to that r' of Fig. 2, but showing the cone coupler element independent means.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

As shown in the drawings, the concrete casting formcomprises side walls l0 and II spaced apart in opposed relation. Upright members or battens I2 are, applied at suitable intervals, contiguous to the exterior faces of said side walls Ill and H to provide external aligning support for the boards or planks which usually compose said walls. Extending transverse across the battens l2 are walers 13, which are ordinarily arranged in pairs, the members of which are prefeably spaced apart one above the other.

The form wall retaining means according to this invention comprises cone coupler elements, one of which is operatively applied to each form wall in opposed longitudinally aligned relation. Since these cone coupler elements and devices associated therewith are alike, detail description of onewill also apply to the other. Each cone coupler element is shaped to provide a tapered or conical inner end portion l4 and an outer cylindrical end portion l5. Said outer cylindrical end portion has a segmental section cut away from at least one side thereof to provide a fiat face I6 which terminates at its inner end in a shoulder l1 alined with the juncture of said inner conical end portion I4 and said outer cylindrical end portion 15. The cone coupler element is provided with an axial bore including at its inner end an internally screw-threaded section l8 to receive the threaded end portion [9 of a tie rod 20, and adjacent to its outer end an internally screw-threaded section 2| to receive the threaded end portion 22 of a fastening bolt 23. Provided in a convex face of the outer cylindrical end portion I5 of the cone coupler element are a plurality of diagonally extending channels. for use under conditions hereinafter described.

Provided for cooperative association with said cone coupler element is a detachable spreader collar 25. This spreader collar is provided with a central circular opening 26 sized to admit therethrough the cylindrical outer end portion I5 of said cone coupler element. Said spreader collar 25 is provided with an outer fiat face 21,

and preferably with a rounded inner face 28.

Formed integrally with the spreader collar body to cross the central opening 2'6 thereof contiguous to said outer fiat face 21 is an abutment lip or web 29 disposed and shaped to move over the flat face iii of the cylindrical outer end portion l5 of the cone coupler element into stopped abutment against the shoulder l'l, thereby to hold sa d spreader collar when mounted on the cone coupler element, adjacent to the outer end of said conical end portion of the latter and against :1:

inward movement relative thereto.

In the use of the cone coupler element for both form wall tying and spreading effect, after the spreader collar 25 is assembled therewith, the

cylindrical outer end portion [5 thereof is disw posed to pass outwardly through an opening 30, with which the form wall is provided, until the flat face 2'! of the spreader collar 25 abuts the inner face of said form wall. The cone coupler element being screwed onto one end of the tie rod 20, and the form wall abutted against the spreader collar 25, a fastening bolt is passed between the walers l3 and screwed into the outer end of the cone coupler element until the washer 3i and head 32at the outer end of said bolt abuts the walers, so as to draw up the form wall structure into secure assembled relation, and so as to be tied against outward movement by the tie rod 20, and supported or spread relative to an opposed wall by abutment against the spreader collar 25 carried by said cone coupler element.

After the concrete mass has been cast in the form as thus erected, and has set sufficiently to warrant the dismantling of the form, the securing bolt 23 is detached from the cone coupler element so that the walers l3 and battens l32 may be removed and the associated form wall thereupon stripped and removed from the exterior face of the cast concrete mass. When a form wall is thus removed, the cylindrical outer end portion E5 of the cone coupler element is exposed in outwardly projecting relation to the exterior face 33 of the cast concrete mass, and at the same time the outer face ll of the spreader collar 25 is likewise exposed (see Fig. 4). To dislodge and withdraw the cone coupler element and spreader collar from the cast concrete, a suitable wrench is applied in gripping engagement with the exposed outer end portion l5 and its flat face It, where said cone coupler elementmay be ro- Ill) tated, and thus loosened from the concrete and screwed off of the imbedded tie rod 20. Since the spreader collar 25 is interlocked with the cone coupler element against relative rotation thereto, and is likewise engaged by the shoulder ll of the latter so as to move outwardly therewith, said spreader collar will likewise be withdrawn, with the outwardly moved cone coupler element, from the concrete mass. If there should occur a tendency of the spreader collar to stick to the concrete sufficiently to unduly resist wrench actuated turning movement thereof and of the cone coupler element, means is provided for conveniently tapping the spreader collar to loosen the same from the concrete prior to the stated wrench manipulation. To this end the body of said spreader collar 25 is provided with an indenting opening 34 which opens outwardly from the outer face 21 thereof. Into this opening may be inserted a suitable means, such e. g. as a nail punch or like instrument, the projecting portion of which may be rapped by a hammer or like tool whereby to break any bond between the concrete and the surfaces of the spreader collar contacted thereby. After the cone coupler and spreader collar are removed, the voids left thereby in the concrete mass may be filled or plugged and pointed up with cement or other suitable plastic composition.

When it is desired to so use the cone coupler element for tie rod engagement without form wall spreading effect, the spreader collar 25 is removed and laid aside. This is shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. In such case the desired degree of penetration of the conical inner end portion 54 of the cone coupler element may be predetermined by limiting the inward extension thereof beyond the form wall to the desired extent, and then fixing the same in such predetermined position by passing a fastening nail 35 downwardF-y and inwardly through a channel 25 and into the body of the form wall, as also shown in Fig. 5.

From the above it will be obvious that a very simple and efficient tie-rod coupling means is provided by the instant invention, in the form of a cone coupler element which is provided with a detachable spreader collar of novel form and associated relation for optional use therewith, whereby said cone coupler element may be used for a tie-rod connecting effect with or without form wall spreading effect as circumstances may warrant in any given case.

Having described my invention, I claim:

In retaining means for concrete forms, a removable cone coupler element internally screw threaded adjacent its inner end portion to engage a tie rod and internally screw threaded adjacent its outer end portion to engage a form clamping bolt, the outer end portion of said cone coupler element terminating in a cylindrical portion having a segmental section cutaway from at least one side thereof to provide a flat face on such side and a shoulder at the inner end of said face, and a detachable spreader collar to engage over said cylindrical portion, said collar having a web intersecting the opening thereof whereby said opening is conformable to the cross-sectional shape of the outer end portion of said cone coupler element, said web being adapted to abut both said shoulder and said fiat face of the coupler element outer end portion to hold the same against inward and rotative displacement relative to said coupler element.

SAMUEL S. COL'II. 

